Chapter 84

For the rest of the trip, Huo Yan didn’t speak another word to Ye Leyao. He sat across from him, tapping furiously on his phone.

Ye Leyao didn’t mind; he was busy chatting with Qin Yao the whole time.

Huo Yan knew Ye Leyao was chatting with Qin Yao, but throughout the trip, he didn’t hear any of Ye Leyao’s inner thoughts.

It wasn’t until the plane was about to take off, and Ye Leyao sent his final message to Qin Yao, that he switched his phone to airplane mode. Looking at their chat history, Ye Leyao sighed:

*“Sigh, it hasn’t been that long since I left President Qin, but why do I already miss him?”*

Huo Yan, sitting in the business-class seat next to him: “...”

*I can’t take it!*

*Absolutely can’t!*

*How long have they even been together? Just three days, and he already misses Qin Yao after only being apart for a few hours? Ye Leyao is even more love-obsessed than I am!*

Frustrated, Huo Yan continued to angrily type out messages in the family group chat. But before he could send his long rant, a flight attendant approached to remind him to turn off his phone.

With no other choice, Huo Yan begrudgingly powered down his phone, but he was already planning. *Tonight—no, as soon as we get back—I’m calling a family meeting! I can’t let Ye Leyao and Qin Yao continue like this!*

Meanwhile, Ye Leyao had no idea what was on Huo Yan’s mind. After an entire day of filming, followed by being rushed to the airport, Ye Leyao quickly fell asleep after the plane took off.

During the short two-hour flight, he dreamed again—a memory from long ago… No, perhaps it wasn’t just a dream.

He found himself once again on the familiar balcony. This time, Ye Leyao was excited. He didn’t even glance at the oat milk already prepared for him, heading straight for the bedroom.

The man had just finished showering and was standing in the walk-in closet, completely naked, about to put on his clothes.

Hearing footsteps, the man turned around in shock, locking eyes with Ye Leyao’s curious gaze.

The man’s face flushed red at an alarming speed, and he quickly turned back around, hastily pulling on a robe. His voice trembled slightly: “Why did you come in so suddenly?”

Ye Leyao tilted his head. “Suddenly came in… So you think I shouldn’t have barged in? Should I apologize?”

The man was stunned for a moment. Then a trace of helplessness crossed his face. He covered his blushing cheeks with his hand, taking a few moments to calm himself before saying, “It’s okay. It’s my fault for not telling you earlier. Just remember to knock next time before you come in.”

Ye Leyao nodded. “Alright, I’ll knock next time.”

The man hummed in response and was about to mention the milk waiting for him when Ye Leyao asked another question: “I have a question.”

The man asked, “What is it?”

Ye Leyao’s eyes were clear and his tone was honest and direct: “Can you take off your robe? I noticed you have a nice body. Can I see it again?”

The man: “...”

He froze in place, completely stiff, his face and even his neck flushed with a rosy hue.

Ye Leyao suddenly laughed, and just then, the gentle voice of the flight attendant brought him out of his memory.

Huo Yan, who had already stood up, noticed the smile on Ye Leyao’s face and casually asked, “What’s so funny?”

Ye Leyao stood up and shook his head.

After a few seconds, he smiled and said, “I just thought of something amusing.”

Huo Yan asked, “What is it?”

Ye Leyao didn’t answer.

The dream had been brief, with no clear beginning or end, but Ye Leyao found that he could unexpectedly piece it together with other fragments of memory.

It seemed the man had stood there, silent for a long time—long enough for the blush on his face to gradually fade, long enough for Ye Leyao to grow impatient and wonder if he should leave and drink his milk. Only then did the man softly ask, “Have you seen anyone else’s body like this?”

Without thinking, Ye Leyao answered, “Yeah, I have.”

This time, the man didn’t blush. His deep eyes fixed on Ye Leyao, filled with complex emotions that, at the time, Ye Leyao couldn’t understand.

In the end, the man never agreed to take off his robe for Ye Leyao to see his body again.

But now, Ye Leyao realized that the emotions in the man’s eyes were frustration, jealousy, and a deep sense of helplessness.

…

By the time they got home, it was already half past midnight. The butler opened the door, and Ye Leyao was surprised to see several people sitting in the living room.

*“Is today some special occasion? It’s one thing for Third Brother to be home, but why is Big Brother here too? And why are Dad and Mom still up this late?”*

“Dad, Mom, were you waiting up just for us?” Ye Leyao asked with a smile.

At that, everyone in the room turned to look at Huo Yan, who was standing behind him.

Huo Dad and Huo Mom were indeed waiting for Ye Leyao to return, but Huo Jing and Huo Ze were there specifically for the family meeting that was about to happen.

Huo Mom stood up and said, “They came back for something else. Xiao Yao, are you hungry? I made some soup for you.”

After a full day of filming with barely any rest, followed by Huo Yan dragging him home late at night, Ye Leyao was both hungry and tired. Hearing Huo Mom’s words, he gratefully hugged her. “I’m starving! Mom, you’re the best!”

Huo Mom laughed. “Come on, let’s get you some soup.”

After eating his fill, Ye Leyao felt even sleepier. He said goodnight to everyone and went upstairs to his room.

Half an hour later, a soft voice echoed from upstairs—

*“Ah, it’s so late… I need to send a message to President Qin, and then I’ll sleep…”*

The voice trailed off as sleep overtook him.

Only then did the Huo family’s meeting officially begin.

Huo Yan was the first to speak: “I don’t care if you agree or not. I’m absolutely against this relationship!”

Huo Ze immediately chimed in, “I’m against it too. How old is Ye Leyao, anyway? He’s even younger than me! What does he know about relationships? Right, Big Brother?”

All eyes turned to Huo Jing, who thought for a moment before nodding slightly. “While Qin Yao is indeed excellent and treats Xiao Yao well, their family’s situation is too complicated. Just recently, there were rumors linking Yu Bai to Gu Song. If Xiao Yao gets involved with Qin Yao now, he could easily be dragged into their family’s mess.”

Huo Jing’s well-reasoned argument instantly earned him the approval of both Huo Yan and Huo Ze.

*Exactly! Ye Leyao is so pure and innocent. Why should he get involved in the Qin family’s troubles?*

Huo Dad and Huo Mom exchanged a glance but said nothing.

After sharing his opinion, Huo Jing fell silent. Meanwhile, Huo Yan and Huo Ze took turns listing all the reasons they were against the relationship.

The more Huo Mom listened, the more tired she became. When Huo Yan started to gear up for another round of arguments, she finally couldn’t take it anymore and cut him off: “Alright, if you’re so against it, why don’t you just go talk to Xiao Yao yourselves?”

Huo Dad added, “Love is a matter between two people. As long as Xiao Yao is happy, that’s all that matters to me. But since you all have such strong opinions, why don’t you go and have a proper conversation with him? See what he thinks.”

Huo Yan and Huo Ze exchanged glances, and Huo Ze was the first to respond. “Fine!”

Huo Yan thought about it for a moment before saying, “But every time I try to talk to Ye Leyao, he always…”

Everyone immediately looked at him.

Always what?

Suddenly, Huo Ze had an epiphany: “He always brings up Su Rui to poke at you, doesn’t he?”

Huo Yan: “... If you don’t know how to speak properly, can you just shut up?!”

Huo Ze chuckled.

It wasn’t just Ye Leyao who liked to poke fun at Huo Yan with that story—everyone in the family did. Even Huo Yan’s fans enjoyed bringing it up from time to time, making jokes at his expense.

Huo Dad and Huo Mom couldn’t help but smile, clearly amused.

Seeing Huo Yan’s death glare, Huo Dad quickly suppressed his smile and said, “If you want to talk to Xiao Yao, you’ll have to handle it yourselves. Your mother and I don’t have a problem with this relationship.”

“That’s right,” Huo Mom added. “You’ll have to figure this out yourselves. It’s late. We’re going to bed now.”

With that, Huo Dad and Huo Mom went upstairs.

Huo Ze also started heading to bed, but Huo Yan grabbed his arm.

Huo Ze blinked in confusion. “What?”

Huo Yan called out to Huo Jing, who was getting up to leave. “Big Brother, aren’t you going to help us with this?”

They couldn’t just leave it to Huo Yan and Huo Ze to talk to Ye Leyao, right?

Huo Jing paused, thought for a moment, and said, “Alright, I’ll talk to Xiao Yao tomorrow morning.”

Huo Yan and Huo Ze’s faces lit up with joy.

Perfect! With the family’s negotiation expert, Huo Jing, on their side, how could they lose?

There was no chance of failure now!

The three brothers, for once, found themselves in complete agreement on this matter.

Meanwhile, Ye Leyao was sound asleep, blissfully unaware that his three brothers had formed a “break-up intervention” team and were planning to “persuade” him at any moment.

Ye Leyao slept deeply and had another dream—this time not about Qin Yao, but about the entire Huo family.

In the dream, Ye Leyao was much shorter, but Huo Jing, Huo Yan, and Huo Ze were already close to their current heights.

He was hiding alone in the Huo family’s villa, specifically in the courtyard by the swimming pool. It was a safe distance from the pool, which he feared, but close enough to observe the entire Huo family.

That night, it snowed heavily, covering the ground with a thick, white layer. Despite the snow, the Huo family gathered together for a barbecue.

Huo Dad and Huo Mom sat close to each other, chatting while eating.

Huo Jing sat upright, with a laptop in front of him.

Huo Yan, seemingly tired from eating, was lying on a lounge chair with a heavy blanket draped over him.

Huo Ze sat at the edge, playing video games while talking to Huo Yan.

Ye Leyao could definitely hear what they were saying from his hiding spot, but for some reason, he couldn’t make out any of their words.

The longer he listened, the heavier his eyelids became. Just as he was drifting off, he vaguely heard Huo Dad’s surprised voice: “When did a child come into our garden?”

Huo Mom was startled. “A child? But it snowed all night yesterday!”

Huo Dad quickly picked up Ye Leyao, brushing the snow off his small body, and checked his forehead. Alarmed, he rushed back into the villa, shouting, “Quick! Call a doctor! He’s still alive—”

Ye Leyao could vaguely hear the commotion in the Huo household, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t open his eyes. All he felt was the warmth of Huo Dad’s embrace—a warmth he had never known before.

As the morning sunlight slipped through the gaps in the curtains, it crept up onto Ye Leyao’s face.

His long lashes, damp with moisture, clung together. His eyelids fluttered, and as he blinked, the tears that had gathered finally fell.

Ye Leyao sat up abruptly, realizing that he had been dreaming a lot lately.

But every time he woke up, he quickly pushed these dreams to the back of his mind.

It felt as if his subconscious was telling him that these memories didn’t matter.

*But why wouldn’t they matter?*

Before Ye Leyao could ponder further, his subconscious dismissed the question before he could think too deeply.

He blinked slowly, then suddenly sat upright.

*“President Qin! Did he send me any messages?!”*

Meanwhile, downstairs in the dining room…

Huo Yan slammed the table. “See? He just woke up, and he’s already thinking about Qin Yao again! And you still say Ye Leyao isn’t love-obsessed?”

Huo Dad took a sip of his porridge. “It’s not that bad. When your mom and I were dating, I was the same way.”

Huo Mom smiled gently. “If he didn’t think about Qin Yao after waking up, *that* would be the real problem.”

Huo Yan huffed and turned to Huo Jing. “Big Brother, don’t forget to talk to him later.”

Huo Jing, finishing up a document on his tablet, nodded.

Huo Mom suddenly thought of something and asked, “By the way, Second Son, why are you so against Xiao Yao being with Qin Yao?”

Huo Yan froze. “Huh?”

“Why do you ask?” Huo Ze looked puzzled. “Big Brother and I don’t want them to be together either.”

“It’s different,” Huo Mom said. “In this family, the person most opposed to Xiao Yao and Qin Yao being together is you, Second Son.”

Huo Dad nodded in agreement. “That’s right.”

Though Huo Jing and Huo Ze were also against the relationship, their objections weren’t nearly as strong as Huo Yan’s.

Huo Mom smiled knowingly. “You’re not jealous, are you?”

*Jealous because of your own failed relationship? And now you can’t stand to see someone else succeed?*

Huo Yan’s face turned black as he hurriedly denied it: “Of course not! That’s ridiculous! I just—”

The truth was, Huo Yan had thought about it before. But the more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.

He didn’t want Ye Leyao and Qin Yao to be together because he felt it would be dangerous for Ye Leyao.

But how would Ye Leyao be in danger?

Caught up in the Qin family’s mess?

But what mess could the Qin family have that would pose a threat to them?

Besides, with their whole family protecting Ye Leyao, who could possibly harm him?

Huo Yan couldn’t figure it out, so he didn’t voice his concerns. Instead, he simply said, “Anyway, I just don’t want them together.”

“That’s just unreasonable!” Huo Mom glared at him.

At that moment, Ye Leyao appeared in the doorway. “Who’s being unreasonable?”

Huo Mom turned around, beaming. “Xiao Yao, you’re awake! Come have breakfast!”

Ye Leyao smiled as he walked over.

*“Today feels great!”*

Huo Yan’s eyelid twitched.@@novelbin@@

Huo Jing glanced at Huo Ze.

Huo Ze cleared his throat, about to ask if Ye Leyao was happy because he was in love, but then Ye Leyao spoke first:

*“It feels like it’s been so long since our whole family had breakfast together! I’m so happy!”*

Huo Ze: “…”

Huo Ze covered his face with his hand.

Huo Jing and Huo Yan had been coming home for meals regularly, so the only one who had been absent was Huo Ze himself.

He had just been about to tease Ye Leyao about being happy because of his relationship, but now he felt a wave of guilt.

How could he have thought that about Ye Leyao?

Feeling remorseful, Huo Ze abandoned his plan to question Ye Leyao and instead gave Huo Jing and Huo Yan a helpless look.

Huo Yan: “…”

Ye Leyao hadn’t even said anything yet, and Huo Ze was already giving up?

Huo Yan then turned to Huo Jing. Huo Jing, who had been busy with work on his tablet, hesitated after hearing what Ye Leyao said. He set the tablet down and said, “Come sit. Let’s eat together.”

Huo Yan: “…”

What? Is Big Brother going to back down too?

Ye Leyao nodded and sat down next to Huo Ze.

Breakfast was prepared to suit everyone’s tastes. Ye Leyao liked drinking milk in the mornings, so Huo Mom had specially made him some oat milk, which he had mentioned he liked before.

The oat milk Huo Mom made wasn’t as sweet as Qin Yao’s, but it was still very delicious.

After finishing his milk, Ye Leyao slowly ate a steamed bun.

Huo Yan took a sip of his porridge and shot Huo Jing a look.

*Now’s the time to talk, right? If you don’t speak up now, he might say he’s going to see Qin Yao after breakfast!*

Huo Jing, more patient than Huo Yan, waited for Ye Leyao to finish his steamed bun and two dumplings before clearing his throat. “Xiao Yao…”

Just then, Huo Jing’s phone rang.

Huo Yan’s face immediately tensed.

Ye Leyao looked up. “Hm?”

*What does Big Brother want to talk to me about?*

The phone rang for a few more seconds before Huo Jing said, “I’ll take this call first.”

It was an important one.

Huo Yan clenched his fists under the table.

*What’s going on? We’re just trying to talk to him! Why does everything

keep interrupting?*

Frustrated, Huo Yan downed the rest of his porridge in one gulp.

Huo Jing had already started his phone conversation.

His voice was low and pleasant to listen to, but Ye Leyao wasn’t paying attention to a word. After listening for a while, he started to feel sleepy again.

*Big Brother is pretty impressive, though,* Ye Leyao thought to himself.

Huo Ze exchanged glances with Huo Yan, then quickly looked at Huo Jing.

Huo Jing hadn’t expected the compliment, and a brief flash of embarrassment crossed his face.

On the other end of the line, Huo Jing’s assistant presented two possible flight paths for analysis. After a moment of consideration, Huo Jing responded, “Let’s go with the first one. The route is more familiar, and it’ll be safer.”

Ye Leyao had been feeling groggy, but when he heard Huo Jing mention the flight route, his eyes shot open.

*“Flight route? Hmm—”* he dragged out his thoughts, and suddenly the whole family’s attention turned to him.

With furrowed brows, Ye Leyao thought for a moment before muttering to himself:

*“Why do I feel like this part of the story seems pretty important?”*

Huo Jing paused mid-conversation.

His assistant, still on the other end of the line, waited for a response but eventually couldn’t hold back and asked, “President Huo?”

Huo Jing excused himself, getting up to step into the backyard. “Hold on for a moment,” he said quietly.

Meanwhile, at the table, Ye Leyao pulled out his phone and swiftly opened his notes.

*“Got it!”*

*“Oh no, Big Brother’s choice of flight route really is a problem!”*

*“But the description isn’t very detailed here. It just mentions that in a few days, a sudden typhoon will cross paths with that route. Not only will the cargo be lost, but several crew members will go missing too…”*

The entire family’s hearts sank.

Huo Dad immediately stood up and walked toward Huo Jing. “Is this about the shipment we ordered recently?”

Huo Jing nodded as he hung up the phone. “Yes.”

Originally, they had planned to receive the shipment two weeks ago, but due to some issues at the factory, the delivery had been delayed. That’s why they were rushing to get the cargo back now.

But after hearing what Ye Leyao said, Huo Jing hesitated.

Losing the cargo would be covered by insurance, and they could reorder the materials.

But if crew members went missing, that would mean lives were at risk.

Although Huo Jing wasn’t entirely sure whether Ye Leyao’s warning would come true, he couldn’t take any chances.

“I’ll tell them to hold off for now,” Huo Jing said.

Huo Dad nodded in agreement. “That’s the safest course of action. Delaying by a week or so is a minor loss that we can afford.”

Huo Jing nodded in return.

The father and son quickly made their decision.

Meanwhile, Ye Leyao was still fretting:

*“But how do I gently warn Big Brother? If they really take that route…”*

Just then, Huo Mom’s voice broke the tension. “Are you done with your call?”

Ye Leyao looked up to see Huo Dad and Huo Jing returning to the table together.

Huo Jing explained, “I was discussing a shipment issue. Initially, we planned to transport the goods tomorrow, but I realized that another batch of materials will be due for delivery soon as well, so I decided we might as well wait and bring everything back together.”

Ye Leyao exhaled a long sigh of relief.

*“Phew, that was close! I’m so glad Big Brother changed his mind. Now I don’t have to worry anymore. That’s a relief!”*

Hearing this, everyone at the table couldn’t help but glance at Ye Leyao.

He had finished his breakfast and was now pouring himself another glass of milk, smiling brightly as he drank.

Huo Jing stared at Ye Leyao for a few seconds, feeling a sudden warmth in his heart.

Though Ye Leyao had only recently turned eighteen, he was now an adult.

He was growing up, and eventually, he would fall in love.

Even if it weren’t Qin Yao, one day, Ye Leyao would bring someone else home and introduce them as his partner.

Rather than gamble on the character of some unknown future person, it might be better to let him be with Qin Yao, someone they already knew well. If Qin Yao ever wronged Ye Leyao, the whole family could step in to demand justice.

With that thought, Huo Jing withdrew his gaze.

*Let it be.*

The moment Huo Jing decided to stay quiet, Huo Yan started panicking.

*What? That’s it?*

*Big Brother!*

*How can you just let this go?*

Huo Yan shot Huo Jing several pointed looks, but Huo Jing ignored him. Even after Ye Leyao went upstairs to change, Huo Jing still hadn’t said a word.

The moment Ye Leyao was out of sight, Huo Yan couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Big Brother! Why didn’t you say anything?”

Huo Jing cleared his throat. “Say what?”

Huo Yan: “…”

*Okay, fine. Big Brother’s clearly playing dumb!*

Huo Yan turned to Huo Ze for help.

Huo Ze coughed awkwardly. “Second Brother, you know that if it weren’t for Ye Leyao, my esports team would be in shambles…”

He had thought it over carefully. Sure, Qin Yao was a little older than Ye Leyao, but he seemed like the kind of guy who knew how to take care of people.

Besides, when Huo Ze had started his esports team, Ye Leyao had been the first to support him.

Now that it was Ye Leyao’s turn to be in a relationship, how could he be the one to oppose it?

If Ye Leyao found out Huo Ze didn’t support him, he’d be heartbroken!

Huo Yan: “…”

“You’re both useless!” Huo Yan fumed.

Huo Mom, seeing how frustrated Huo Yan was, asked with a headache, “Why are you so against this relationship?”

By now, the entire family, except for Huo Yan, had given their approval.

Of course, Huo Yan couldn’t reveal his true concerns. But suddenly, a bold and absurd thought crossed his mind.

He looked at Huo Mom, lips pressed tightly together. “During the filming of this season, I realized something.”

The whole family turned to him.

Huo Dad asked, “What did you realize?”

After thinking for a couple of seconds, Huo Yan decided to voice his suspicion. “I suspect that Qin Yao can hear Ye Leyao’s inner thoughts, too.”

Just then, Ye Leyao’s excited voice floated down from upstairs:

*“Huh? He’s inviting me to his mother’s birthday party? Does that mean I’m meeting his parents this soon?!”*

Huo Yan gritted his teeth. “You see! This is absurd!”